Kagura (Inuyasha)
Kagura is a major antagonist in the anime and manga series Inuyasha. She is Naraku's second incarnation, preceded only by her sister Kanna. Unlike her weak-willed sister, Kagura has no loyalty to Naraku and often attempts to escape from his control (maintained by the fact that Naraku holds her heart in his hand), so she can be as free as the wind she controls. She was voiced by Izumi Ogami in the Japanese version of the anime, and Janyse Jaud in the English version, the latter of whom also voices Margery Daw. Origin Kagura was created along with Kanna by Naraku to serve him, although she utterly despises him and wants him dead so she can have her freedom. Unfortunately for her, her heart lies in Naraku's hands, preventing her from openly betraying him. Appearance Kagura typically wears her long black hair in a tied knot. She wears an elaborate dancer's kimonos that usually come in three layers - she has worn at least two different designs and patterns throughout the series, having her first one shredded from Inuyasha's attack. She has pointy ears, and wears green beaded earrings. Regardless of terrain - whether it be the mountains or in snow, she prefers to remain perpetually barefoot. Personality Although Kagura hates Naraku, she is still very manipulative and cruel. She uses people for her own purposes just like her master, but in the end, she only wants freedom. As such, she despises being bossed around and manipulated. Biography Her first mission was to kill Koga's wolf tribe, and make it appear as if it were Inuyasha's fault, which Koga temporarily believed. When she failed due to Inuyasha's Wind Scar, Naraku admitted to manipulating her, and she responded by attacking him with her folding fan. He then reminds her that he literally holds her heart in his hand, squeezing it for emphasis. From her first mission onward, she continues to fight Inuyasha and his allies while feigning loyalty to Naraku. Kagura later shows an interest in Sesshomaru, believing him powerful enough to destroy Naraku. When they first meet, Sesshomaru coldly dismisses her, telling her that if she wants Naraku dead she should deal with him herself. Some time after, she abducts Rin in the hopes of luring Sesshomaru to Naraku's castle, and it works. When he cuts himself free of Naraku's tentacles, Kagura concludes that he will be the one to destroy Naraku. Following the Band of Seven arc, Kagura is charged with taking care of Naraku's latest incarnation, The Infant, a task which she hated. After Naraku learns of the Border to the Afterlife, The Infant searches for the border by reading the minds of monks and priests, whom Kagura promptly slays afterwards. She was pleased when Shinsen, a particularly powerful monk, was able to split The Infant in half, apparently killing both. However, Kagura was quickly proven wrong, when the right half of The Infant matured, creating Hakudoshi. She was then charged with working with the child. Hakudoshi took delight in ordering Kagura around, and she soon began to realize that there was something especially important about The Infant, who was entrusted to Kanna, whom Naraku trusted more. When Hakudoshi sent Kagura to "test" the gate to the underworld guarded by Gozu and Mezu, she discovered that, when the gate opened, it turned all nearby living creatures to stone. Furious, she returned to Hakudoshi, attempting to cut him in half with her folding fan; immediately after, Naraku squeezed her heart. It was at this point that Kagura became more active in her quest for freedom. She also came to the realization that The Infant was Naraku's heart, and that by killing him, her master would be destroyed as well. At this point, Kagura begins to visit Sesshomaru more frequently, eventually leading Rin to speculate that she has a romantic interest in the daiyokai. She begins looking after Kohaku, and protects him as his memories begin to return. During the Final Act, Hakudoshi creates his own plan to betray Naraku, and tries to enlist Kagura's help, imploring her to free an imprisoned Goryomaru, a demon-slaying monk who had been presumably killed. Kagura had been charged with guarding him, and correctly assumed that Hakudoshi had traitorous intentions. When he and his demonic construct Moryomaru began targeting Kohaku for the jewel shard in his neck, Kagura actively protected him, allowing him to escape. She assists her long-time enemy Inuyasha by telling him that The Infant is inside Moryomaru, and after Hakudoshi is slain by Miroku, Kagome offers Kagura to travel with them, which she declines because they had been enemies for too long. Naraku then returns Kagura's heart to her, granting her "freedom", although he also injects her with his miasma. As she is dying in a field of flowers, she wonders if she will die alone, but is then visited by Sesshomaru. She proclaims that she wanted to see him one last time before vanishing into thin air, becoming the wind. Powers and Abilities Kagura wields the power of wind and often uses fans to amplify her powers in battle. Dance of Blades - Summons blades that can pierce almost anything. Her weakest and most common attack. Dance of the Dragon - A more powerful attack that summons tornadoes, rending her opponents asunder Dance of the Dead - Kagura can animate corpses, using them as puppets, messengers and meat shields. When she releases the corpse, it collapses and oozes foam. Flight - Can transform one of her hairpins into a giant feather for transportation. Gallery The-wind.jpg|Kagura's final moments Kagura-and-hakudoshi.jpg|Hakudoshi enjoyed taunting Kagura, knowing she couldn't do anything about it. Dance-of-blades.jpg|Kagura's Dance of Blades Navigation Category:Anime Villains Category:Inuyasha Villains Category:Anti-Villain Category:Female Category:Manga Villains Category:Demon Category:Deceased Category:Evil Vs. Evil Category:Fragmental Category:Paranormal Category:Tragic Category:Villains by Proxy Category:Magic Category:Traitor Category:Siblings Category:Immortals Category:Archenemy Category:Femme Fatale Category:Necromancers Category:In Love Category:Redeemed Category:Amoral Category:Youkai